On my recent trip to visit translators in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, I had the privilege of visiting the local assembly in a village called Elim.
I looked up the name of the village, as it rung a scriptural bell and this is what I found: The name Elim belongs to a dreamlike oasis in the wilderness, with twelve springs of water and seventy palms. The Israelites camped there right after the bitter waters of Marah incident, immediately following the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:27, 16:1, Numbers 33:9-10).
I found this humble church in Elim, to bear many of the same characteristics. It serves as an oasis for the Message of the Hour. A place where the local villagers and Xitsonga speakers can drink from the "Ever Present Water from The Rock," thanks to a team of dedicated translators, who are constantly focused on improving their skills and delivering this "Life Saving Resource" to the Xitsonga people.
Right from the moment I stepped into the humble building, I felt so at home with the saints. Their songs of worship were heartfelt, and their voices blended together in unison.
Brother Isaiah Mashele, one of our Xitsonga translators, is the brother in charge of the local fellowship. He welcomed the visiting minister on the day, and also welcomed me (Brother Steven Young of the VGR Durban office), who was in town for a meeting to discuss the translation work.
I was afforded an opportunity to greet the saints, and made use of the opportunity to tell them how much we at VGR love them. It did my heart good to see that there was no shortage of printed Xitsonga books and MP3s in the church. The "Stored Food" had reached the saints in this remote village, and they have Something to feed on. We encouraged the saints to "Stay With The Word" as delivered by the messenger.
I trust that these few pictures and video's will convey the heartwarming experience I felt when I visited the Oasis at Elim.
God bless You,
Brother Steven Young
VGR Durban, South Africa